


The Adventures of Elwood and Grumpy Gary

by Noodle_64



Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 18:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11652258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noodle_64/pseuds/Noodle_64
Summary: 17 year old Elwood Owen has just finished school and isn't quite sure what he wants to do with his life. While his parents are on vacation, Elwood decides to take the car he and his father have been working on for a spin. Things don't quite go according to plan and help arrives in the form of an unlikely hero.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am new to the Take That Fandom but I've been listening to the guys for a little while now. The idea for this stuck me and just wouldn't go away until I wrote it down.

_Dammit._

That was the only thing 17 year old Elwood Owen could think when he checked the boot of the car and found it completely empty with not a petrol can in sight. His father had told him time and time again that older cars went through petrol much faster than newer cars and he had responded that he already  _knew_ that.

But here he was, many kilometers from home and he hadn't bothered to check the bloody gauge before leaving on his spur of the moment jaunt early this morning.

Dad was going to kill him if he didn't get the car home. He had just gotten his driving license not that long ago and had been asked to not go out without another adult but with his parents out of the house and on vacation, Elwood had seized the opportunity to prove himself, to get away from his younger siblings for a bit and do some thinking.

He had done decently well in school, preferring art more to science and math but overall he was a good student. But now his parents were asking him what he was going to  _do_ , now that he was done with primary school. Elwood was taking a gap year, he knew that much. The rest of it? He had no bloody clue and he wasn't sure how to articulate that to his parents.

Heaving a sigh, he closed the boot and leaned against the car for a moment. At least he had his phone on him, in his pocket. But who could he call? Who would help him without telling his father about his little blunder?

One name immediately popped to his mind: Robbie Williams or as he affectionately referred to him, Uncle Rob.

Fishing out the iPhone and finding the right name in his contacts, Elwood impatiently waited as the call was connecting and smiled as soon as he heard his uncle's voice. "El! What the bloody hell do you want at 7 bloody am on a Saturday?"

"Hullo Uncle Rob. I'm in a bit of a jam. I took the car out and didn't check the petrol."

He sighed as his uncle laughed, a bit more than necessary. This really wasn't funny and he needed some help.

"Well I'd run you some petrol if I was home but we're in Milan right now."

Fuck. There went  _that_ idea. He knew that his uncle Howard and Aunt Katie weren't in town either and Uncle Jay never checked his phone. How in the hell was he going to avoid getting a stern talking to? Or worse yet, getting the car stolen or something because he had to go walk for petrol and come back?

"Shit." Elwood said finally, causing Robbie to laugh again.

"Don't let your mum hear you talking like that, kid. Tell you what, I know just the bloke to get you out of this mess. Whereabouts are you?"

"About 10, 15 kilometers east of Castleton. I was driving through Peak National Park."

Robbie whistled. "That's a way from home, young man."

"I know. I just...needed to think."

His uncle sounded sympathetic. "Sometimes a good drive helps with that. Just check your gauge next time, yeah?"

"I will. This guy you know...will he help?"

"He's helped me out a lot. Just sit tight and turn your phone off. Don't want to drain you battery."

That was good advice and Elwood silently vowed to pay more attention to the adults in his life, his parents included.

"Will do, Uncle Rob. Thanks."

Shutting off his phone, Elwood got back into the car and cranked the windows down a bit so it wasn't stuffy. It was early on Saturday morning so that meant there weren't even passing motorists that he could bum a ride from to get into the nearest town for some petrol. 

Elwood definitely wasn't like his father. Mark Owen usually slept late (probably a habit from doing late concerts at night) but his son was an early riser, learning early on in his life to stay quiet so that Daddy could sleep.

That was another thing he hadn't asked Uncle Rob. Would the person even be  _awake_ right now? With his luck, probably not and he was going to sit here for hours until someone came by.

But at least he had a chance to think without anybody else around. What  _did_ he want to do for a career? Elwood knew that people expected him to follow in his father's footsteps and do something in the music industry. But he couldn't sing, couldn't dance and couldn't play any instruments at all, despite actually wanting to. He had tried lessons at a few different things before realizing that he just wasn't a musician.

He'd discovered sound engineering, though. A mate of his at school, Toby, had shown him how to remix songs as well as play with audio recordings. Elwood had no desire to be a DJ, though. By and large EDM music wasn't his favourite and he got bored of it pretty quickly. If he couldn't play music, perhaps he could do something behind the scenes, like mixing or even producing. He didn't want to use his father's name, though. Being the son of a member of Take That could open a lot of doors very easily and Elwood didn't want that. He wanted to make his own way if at all possible.

So caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice the passage of time, which made the honk of a car horn all the more startling to him. He jolted, looking in the mirror to see a black Range Rover parking on the side of the road directly behind him. The driver's side door opened...

And out popped Gary Barlow, obviously dressed like he was about to go work out.

Ever since he'd been little, his father had teased Gary about Elwood calling him "Grumpy Gary" when he was two. Even now that story was still brought up sometimes. Elwood didn't know Gary  _well_ , not as well as he knew his Uncle Howard and Uncle Robbie but he'd grown to like him as he got older. He really should've known that Uncle Rob would call Gary, if he'd taken the time to think it through. Aunt Ayda referred to him as "Rob's Boyfriend" and Elwood knew the two were close after a long period of estrangement right after his uncle had left Take That in the 90's.

A couple of petrol cans were fetched briskly out of the boot and then Gary was striding over to the car, offering Elwood a friendly smile once the teen was out of the car.

"Rob said you were going for a think." He said mildly, offering one of the cans to Elwood.

"Yeah." The young man answered, trying to think of something a little better to say than just "yeah". "I forgot to check the gauge before I left and if Dad finds out I took the car out without him, he'd flip."

Gary laughed as he got the first petrol can emptied into the car. "You little rebel." He teased.

Now that salvation was at hand, Elwood could start to see the humour in it, a characteristic that he happened to share with his father. "I just needed some time away from everything." He shrugged, setting the empty can down and reaching for the second that Gary was holding.

"Any particular reason?" Gary asked mildly as he handed the can over. His dad had always said that Gary was observant and Elwood was starting to see that he was right on the money with that.

Fiddling with the lid for a moment, Elwood decided that he had nothing to lose by being honest. It wasn't like he was keeping an embarrassing secret that he couldn't divulge to anyone. "Mum and Dad keep asking me what I'm going to do. If I'm going to uni or going to work after my gap year. I just don't  _know_ yet."

Gary nodded slowly as he spoke. "If you don't mind a bit of advice, which you're free to take or leave as you see fit, I'll tell you what I told my Dan after he finished primary school. He wasn't sure of what to do either so I told him to take his gap year and just try everything. Travel. Do some research into jobs that interest you and talk to someone who does that job. Tag along with them for a day so you can see what they do. If you parents ask, you can legitimately tell them that you're trying to consider all your options and sift through them accordingly."

He grinned rather disarmingly. Elwood even now usually thought of him Grumpy Gary so to see him smiling was a bit of a shock. "If they're still on you case, I can talk to your dad. I've known him long enough by now to call him off."

Nodding slowly, Elwood got the second gas can drained into the car and put the cap back on, giving it back to Gary. "Thanks for this, Gary."

"It's quite alright, El. Take care of yourself, yeah?"

Almost bemused, Elwood shook the hand that Gary was offering to him. He wasn't quite used to being treated like a grownup. At least, not like this.

"I will. Promise."

With a manly clap on the shoulder, Gary collected the empty petrol cans, waving off Elwood's offer to pay him back later. He got the cans into the boot of the Rover and then he was gone, off to something else.

Elwood didn't leave right away, mulling over what Gary had told him. He could see if it was possible to talk to anyone who produced music. Perhaps Uncle Rob and his Uncle Howard, who did the odd DJ set, could point him in the right direction. If he found that didn't work in the way that he hoped, he at least had a method of how to figure things out.

Life could be an adventure sometimes. But as he pulled back onto the road, heading for home, Elwood couldn't help feeling a little better knowing that he had Grumpy Gary on his side.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elwood's parents are going out of town for a couple days. Nothing could go wrong. Right?

The pencil scratched over the paper that Elwood was writing on. It had been a week since his little driving misadventure and so far, no one had spilled the beans to his father. The teen had washed up the car nicely to have a credible story for why it had been moved but otherwise, he was in the clear. He wasn’t going to lie if he was directly asked if he had driven the car but he also wasn’t going to volunteer that information either.

Gary’s advice had been good and Elwood was taking it, making a list of possible jobs he was interested in. He was trying to be sensible about the whole thing and didn’t write down things like “international football star” or “marrying a princess”. So far, he had sound engineer, stage designer and producer. All of these were behind the scenes kinds of jobs, which suited Elwood’s tastes. He wasn’t one to be out in the spotlight like his father or mother.

He was considering what he’d written when he heard a soft tap on the door and turned to find his mother poking her head in.

“What are you up to, Woody?” She asked. All of Elwood’s family called him “Woody”, which had gotten him a lot of Toy Story references growing up.

“Just making a list.” He answered.

He could tell his mum was curious.

“Of what?”

Elwood turned in his chair to face her. “I’m making a list of possible careers that I’m interested in. I want to take my gap year and talk to people in those jobs, possibly job shadow them and see what it’s like on a normal day.”

He could tell that she was impressed and he made a mental note that he really owed Gary one for his suggestion. Maybe he could have a fruit basket or something sent since he remembered that the leader of Take That was a healthy eater and all that.

“Seems like you’re really thinking about this.” She said approvingly.

“I’m trying to.” He sighed. “It’s just…hard to know what to do just yet.”

Coming into his room more fully, his mother regarded him for a moment and Elwood wondered what she was thinking about. She had a look on her face that he couldn’t remember ever seeing before and it alarmed him a little bit.

“Don’t feel like you have to know, Woody. Your dad and I just want you to be thinking about it. Whatever you decide you want to do, we’ll support you. Even if that means you get a job while you save up for something or decide on uni or even a trade.”

Sighing, Elwood glanced down at his list. “Yeah, but you guys keep asking a lot and it makes me…anxious. Like I should have it all figured out and I don’t.”

“Oh honey…” she sighed, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. “We did not mean for it to come across that way at all. I’ll tell your dad to let you be for a little while.”

Elwood felt a tiny bit bad, but he also really had needed to say something. “Thanks Mum.” He said gratefully.

Giving him a little squeeze, she chuckled. “You’ll have some time without us in your hair. Your dad and I are going to be heading to a small festival. Your dad is playing solo and asked if I’d go with. Can you handle your sisters again?”

He nodded rapidly. “Of course, Mum. We were fine this last time.”

“We’re off tomorrow and we’ll be back in two days.

Two days. That was all? What could possibly happen in that amount of time?

He was about to find out.

With the goodbyes said, Elwood was working on his list (and trying to pick out a fruit basket for Gary) when his youngest sister, Fox India (whom he affectionately called “Indy”) rapped on the door. “Woody, can I go round to Sarah’s?”

Sarah was his sister’s best friend in the entire world and Elwood knew she didn’t live very far down the road. Checking the time, he saw it was just after 1 in the afternoon. “Yeah, but text me when you get there and be home for dinner. I’m getting some takeaway delivered.”

His dad always left some money for them to get something so there was no cooking involved and that suited all of them just fine. Elwood knew he was going to have to learn how to cook at some point but that seemed like a far off thing. He would worry about it when he needed to.

Indy agreed to his request and 10 minutes later, he received a text from her that she had arrived at Sarah’s house. At least she was minding him, unlike his other sister Willow Rose who liked to try and push his buttons whenever she could. Dad had gotten stern with her the last time she’d given Elwood a hard time though and that had pretty much taken care of that.

Willow was downstairs watching a movie and Elwood joined her after chatting on Facebook with some friends, not even bothering to see what time it was when he looked at his phone. It was after 6 now and Indy wasn’t home yet, which was strange. They always ate between 5:30 and 6.

“Hey Wil, have you heard from Indy?” He asked cautiously.

Checking her phone, Willow shook her head. “No, Woody. Nothing.”

Maybe she had just lost track of time. That happened sometimes and Elwood used his own phone to send a text to Indy.

Where r u? Time 4 dinner

He waited, but there was no forthcoming answer. Usually his sister answered pretty quickly and Elwood was trying to remain calm but he was having a hard time breathing.

Finally after a half an hour, Elwood hunted down the phone book and rang Sarah’s house. Her mother sounded surprised and alarmed when he informed her that Indy wasn’t home. 

“She left about an hour ago, Elwood. I’ll ask Sarah if she was planning to go somewhere.”

Waiting was like torture, especially when he was told that Sarah hadn’t known if Indy was going somewhere else. “Thanks anyway, ma’am.” He said miserably, ending the call.

“What’s going on, Woody?” Willow asked sharply.

“Sarah’s mum said Indy left their house over an hour ago, Willow. She should’ve been here…”

Willow was up and off the couch. “We need to look for her. Maybe she decided to walk down to that little sweet shop she loves so much.”

That was definitely something Indy would have done and Elwood hoped that this was the case. “Take your phone. I’ll stay here in case she calls or makes it in. Please stay in touch.”

Nodding, Willow was out the door, running down the street and calling her sister’s name.

If they didn’t find her, Elwood knew he was going to have to call his parents.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he paced as he waited to either see Indy coming through the door or else see something from Willow. Her first message came in. The good news was, she had indeed been to the sweet shop but the woman at the counter said she had been with a boy and they’d left half an hour ago.

Indy had been there with a boy? Obviously she’d either met him on the way or was planning to go and see him and if she hadn’t been comfortable telling Elwood or Willow or even Sarah about it, it probably mean she knew it wasn’t a good idea to be around him.

Admitting defeat, Elwood tried to dial his parents but their phones were switched off. Who else could he call?

A person came to mind and Elwood hesitated before dialing the number he found in his father’s studio area.

“Hullo, Gary Barlow speaking.”

“Gary? It’s Elwood. I…I need your help. I don’t know what to do.”

“Slow down, El. Tell me what’s going on.”

The quiet certainty in Gary’s voice helped him breathe, just for a second. “Indy asked if she could go round to her best friend’s house. I said yes but she had to text me when she got there and she had to be home for dinner. She left her best friend’s house an hour ago. Willow went down to the sweet shop she likes and the lady said she’d been there…but she’d been there with a boy.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. “Have you rung the police yet?”

“No, not yet. Willow and I were hoping we’d find her.”

“Ring them now. Dawn and I will be there in a half hour.”

Elwood tried to protest but Gary was firm. “Your mum and dad probably won’t check their phones until later, I know them as well as you do. I don’t want you and Willow alone with this, El.”

A lump in his throat, Elwood finally agreed and Gary rang off. The police were called and Elwood told them everything that he could, including what his sister had been wearing and the direction she had gone. Willow kept him updated via text and Elwood was able to help her link up with one of the local police so she wouldn’t be out there searching as it was getting darker.

Now that the numb feeling was setting in, Elwood wanted to scream or cry or throw something but he couldn’t.

A tentative knock came at the door and he rushed over, half afraid and half wanting to know who was there. On the step were Gary and Dawn, as had been promised.

“Any word?” Dawn asked as they came in and Elwood shook his head.

“Nothing. Willow’s with one of the police looking. I said I’d stay here in case she came back…”

His words trailed off and he was embarrassed to find that his eyes were watering.

Gary rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You did everything right, Elwood. You’re not to blame for this.”

How was it that Gary could know what he was thinking? He was supposed to look for his sisters, keep them safe and not even a few hours after his parents had gone, Indy was missing. She could be god knows where and he felt sick.

The landline buzzed and Dawn answered it, handing it over to Elwood after a moment of talking to whoever was on the other side. “It’s Constable Brown.” She said.

Swallowing, Elwood accepted the phone. “Constable? This is Elwood Owen.”

“We found her, Mr. Owen. She’s alright and not looking forward to getting her punishment but no harm done.”

“Thank God.” Elwood said fervently. He gave the policeman their address and hung the phone up. “They found her. She’s okay and she’ll be brought home. Willow will be brought back as well.”

Gary exhaled in relief and glanced around. “Have you lot eaten yet?”

Elwood shook his head. “We always order a takeaway when Mum and Dad are gone and I hadn’t ordered yet because Indy wasn’t back yet.”

Wrinkling his nose, Gary shook his head and started to poke around the kitchen. “Better leave him to it.” Dawn laughed, ushering Elwood out of the kitchen. “He loves to cook and it’s less worry for you.”

“I have no idea how to cook.” Elwood admitted. “That’s usually why Dad just leaves us some money.”

“I cook alright but Gary enjoys it and he’s rather good at it.”

“He’s good at most things though, right?” The young man asked, making Dawn laugh again.

Wagging a finger at him, she shook her head. “Don’t ever let him hear you say that. I’d never be able to get his ego down to size again!”

“He was good about getting me out of my car troubles.”

“He told me about that.” Dawn sounded amused. “Isn’t the first time he’s bailed someone out and it won’t be the last. Your Uncle Rob is usually the one he has to help though.”

“I called Uncle Rob first but he wasn’t in town.” Elwood admitted. “He’s the one who got Gary to come and help me.”

About that time, a tearful Indy and a somewhat wrathful Willow made their way into the house. Elwood did his best to keep peace for a moment but it was chaos until Gary stuck his head out of the kitchen.

“ENOUGH.” He thundered and the squabbling girls fell silent. “Cor, you two would give a pack of wolves a run for their money! Willow, your sister probably didn’t mean to worry you so don’t be too harsh. Indy, that was irresponsible. You can’t just go off like that. I think your mum and dad are going to have a few things to say to you. You can think about what you did while we eat.”

The smell of food in the air was irresistible and Elwood was aware of how hungry he was. They all were. Gary and Dawn had already eaten but Gary did help himself to an apple while the three Owen kids annihilated the pasta dish he’d made.

“Gary, can we hire you to be our chef?” Willow asked, which made the older man laugh.

“No, but maybe I could give you all some lessons.”

Cooking lessons with Gary didn’t seem like such a bad thing, even if it was a joke.

As soon as dinner was over and the dishes were washed, Elwood called his parents and put it on speaker. As he’d expected, his parents were furious with Indy and she was grounded for three weeks. No phone, no nothing as soon as they got back and Elwood wasn’t to let her go anywhere unless he or Willow were present. It was fair, but Indy was still upset.

Elwood didn’t feel too sympathetic however. All she’d had to do was send a couple of texts or be honest in the first place and this wouldn’t have happened. Once she was trudging up the stairs to go to bed, Elwood turned toward Gary and Dawn. “Sorry to drag you all into this and ruin your evening…” he began but Dawn waved his words away.

“We’re glad we could help, Elwood. Even if it was just keeping you from starving.” Gary commented.

As he showed them out the door, Elwood leaned against the frame of the door, thoughtful as Gary and Dawn headed back toward their own home. When he had needed help, Gary and now his wife had been there. He was going to have to get a fruit basket and some flowers too.


End file.
